A guide to switching your broadband provider

There are many good reasons for switching your broadband provider. You may simply be looking for better value for money. You may be wanting to upgrade your service. If you’re unfortunate enough to have suffered from poor performance or had an unpleasant customer service experience that might be reason enough to switch supplier too.

Whatever the reason, switching broadband is becoming increasingly simple – a recent survey claims over 80% of people found it easy to switch.

Before you do too much else, it’s important to understand your current contract. Broadband contracts typically come with a minimum term. If you’re still within this period, check whether there are any cancellation fees if you end your contract early. It could be that these are less than the amount you could save.

But, if you’re out of contract and your service has been good, there is always the option of talking to your existing provider before you compare with us to see what sort of deal they can offer.

Finding a new supplier

We can help you find a broadband deal that’s right for you. Whether you simply want to switch broadband or want a new package including landline and TV, we’ll take the hard work out of the search.

All you need to do is input your postcode and select what services you’re looking for and we’ll show you a list of packages to choose from.

Once you think you’ve found the right package, make sure you have all the details on exactly what you'll be signing up for. Check the contract duration, speed estimates for your address, contract length, connection charges, line rentals and most importantly perhaps, the total contract cost to make sure it’s right for you.

Making the switch

Once you’ve found the right deal for you and decided to switch, your new provider should arrange the whole transfer for you.

This includes letting your old provider know that you’re moving and you‘ll then be sent notification letters from both new and old providers confirming the move.

The letters will include details of when the transfer will take place and your old provider will also detail any charges outstanding if there are any.

However, if your new provider can’t arrange the switch, then you’ll just need follow a few easy steps:

• Ring your new supplier, ask them when they are available to come and transfer you over to the new package. • Book the date for the transfer• Call your old provider to confirm that you want to cancel on the day your new service starts.

Will I lose service during the switch?

Switching broadband suppliers is a lot smoother than it used to be and in many cases you should be able to switch with little or no interruption in service. Your new provider will advise you when the switch will happen and if you can expect any loss of service while it takes place.

If you're only switching your broadband and keeping your existing telephone line, you should only experience a few minutes of downtime as the switch automatically takes place.

If you're also switching landline providers, make sure you check there’s no additional downtime. This way if there is, you can make plans to minimise the effects of any disruption to you.

If you're switching between completely different types of broadband such as cable broadband from Virgin to a fibre-optic service from BT or vice versa, your old service cannot be switched automatically and must be fully cancelled and replaced with a new service.

With good planning, you can still minimise downtime during the switch. And don’t forget, there’s no reason why your old connection has to be switched off before your new service can be activated. You could simply leave both running until you’re happy, just be mindful of any cancellation notice that you have to give.

So why not switch today? Compare today and we’ll provide you with a range of options to suit your needs. Just see how much you could save!

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^For the period 1st June to 31st August 2017, 19,640 people responded to the recommend question, 18,077 responded with a score of 6 or above, therefore 92.04% are likely to recommend.

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